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Rider Profile: Spencer Paxson

25-year old Spencer recently finished seventh at the National Mountain Bike Championships, was selected as one of 7 elite men cross country riders to represent the US at the Mountain Bike World Championships, and is also starting to achieve success on the road. On top of his success on the bike, he works full time developing wind and solar projects for a Seattle-based renewable energy developer.

Age: 25

Education:
BA in Geography from Middlebury College

Employment/Work/Career:Ridgeline Energy, Permitting and GIS Specialist. My job is to make sure that our projects comply with the myriad of environmental and ministerial permits necessary for large-scale wind and solar projects. The work is dynamic and fun, with a good balance of behind-the-computer analysis, meeting with people, and field excursions. I could see myself staying in the realm of renewable energy for a long time. It would also be cool to take the project development skills I’ve learned so far and apply them to developing top-notch mountain bike parks and trail systems.

How did you get into racing mountain bikes?
I did my first bike race in the summer of 2008, the Gorge Games at Post Canyon in Hood River, OR. I was 13 and I entered the Sport Men 13-18 cross country event on my dad’s Trek 820. I think I was sixth out of seven. It was my first major experience with singletrack and it blew my mind. From then it was history, but until that point, mountain biking had been my own discovery, along with my two best friends Ben and Elliott. I grew up in Trout Lake, WA where self-motivated outdoor activity was a requisite. We were the odd kids out because we did not own dirt bikes. We would ride our bikes everywhere, to each others’ houses, to go fishing – we even built trails through the woods between our houses. I had this rad purple and bronze Roadmaster from Costco which I thought was the perfect bike for me. I didn’t even realize mountain biking was a formal sport until some crystallizing moment in the checkout lane at Safeway were I saw an issue of Mountain Bike Magazine, all the pictures of fast bikes and neon-clad riders, and the advertisement for the 2008 Games XC.

Spencer in rain-soaked conditions during the 2010 Enumclaw Omnium. Racing and learning from the KR squad has been one of the biggest highlights of Spencer’s 2010 season. Credit: Keller Rhorback Cycling.

Following that race I spent all my spare time saving money to buy a new mountain bike, and after many hours in the lumber yard (my family runs Mt. Adams Lumber Co. in Trout Lake), Shane Wilson at Discover Bicycles cut me a deal on my first mountain bike, a Gary Fisher Paragon. Shortly after that I started racing the Mt. Hood Skibowl Series and joining in on group rides in Hood River. It was about then that I realized I had a knack for riding fast, and my parents were immensely supportive, driving me to all of the OBRA races around Oregon. I raced my first National-level event in 2000 – XC Nationals in Mammoth, CA. That experience opened my eyes to the world of elite cycling. When I graduated from high school, Shane offered me a job at Discover Bicycles, where I spent my next five summers wrenching on bikes and getting to know the local riding community. The whole progression of things really ingrained mountain biking into my core.

What led you to try road racing?
As I became more serious about mountain bike racing, I quickly learned that serious racers used road riding and road racing to improve their performance on the mountain bike. At first it was hard for me to think of branching away from the dirt for fun(!?), but I found that I enjoyed the new medium for competing on a bike.

What were your athletic experiences before cycling?
I was lucky to grow up with a happy, healthy, very outdoorsy family. For several years growing up, our family vacations were multi-day backback trips on Mt. Adams. As for competitive sports, I was a soccer player and mid-distance runner through middle school and high school, and even the first year of college.

What other sports do you do? Do you do any cross-training or non-cycling athletic activities?
I’ve got a big passion for backcountry skiing. I cross train in the winter time to get myself back into ‘balance’. Most of it is backcountry skiing, but I also do a fair amount of nordic and running. When I can I love to kiteboard. The great thing about cycling is that it offers so many distinct styles, especially in the Northwest. I spend the majority of my time on a bicycle, but it never feels stagnant. Cross country trail riding and racing, DH and freeride, dirt jumping, road riding and racing, and cyclcross…they’re all on two wheels, but the difference in each discipline is highlighted by the awesome terrain and riding community. Plus…there’s always something new to learn on a bike.

This was Spencer’s third season of cyclocross racing, and he says that when you combine the racing in Seattle and Portland, the NW is unbeatable. Credit: Michael Paxson.

Tell us about some of your cycling highlights. What have been some key successes on the mountain bike? And on the road bike?
I’m only 25, but having raced since I was 13, there are tons of highlights, and not all have to do with racing. When I think back to the defining experiences, the first are all the beautiful places I’ve ridden and the awesome road trips I was able to share with my parents and friends. Before I could drive, my folks would share the big trips, lots around Oregon, many to Utah and Colorado, even one to West Virginia and back. Along the way, some of the best race highlights included my first national podium finishes as a Junior, racing for John Kemp’s Team DEVO, silver medals at Collegiate Nationals, attending MTB Worlds in Rotorua, New Zealand as a U23, being taken under the wing of NW cycling legend Erik Tonkin with the S&M Young Guns, 7th place at MTB nationals in 2010, and being selected to the 2010 Elite XC team for Worlds in Mt. St. Anne.

Moving to Seattle has been the best thing for my road biking. I had never lived in a metropolitan area with a regular race scene or large road riding community, and consequently had never had much race experience. My first legit road race was the 2008 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic and I totally surprised myself by taking two stage wins and the general classification. I think I won that race on pure grit because still hadn’t learned how to not race like a mountain biker. That ‘unrefined’ style persisted through 2009, but somehow it led to an invite to join the Keller Rohrback Cycling Team. Racing with and getting to know the KR crew (and the rest of Seattle road community) has been one of my best experiences since moving to Seattle, and thanks to the team’s patience with my fat-tire ways, I’ve learned a ton about road racing, and love it.

What does your yearly cycling schedule look like?
In the last two years my focus has been on balancing a full-time career job with an “elite-amateur” cycling career. Looking back through my training log for 2010, I averaged 12 hours of riding per week, starting in early-February. There are big volume weeks tucked in, but for the most part I use spring road racing to get into shape I think the majority of people who race bikes would relate to the schedule. I’ve always been self-coached, and at this point I depend a lot on my pure sense of how I feel, how I’m progressing (or not). I track my training in hours and workout format. For me, improvisation and discipline feed off of each other, so I’m always learning, and I try not to get over-structured about things. The big trick is balancing the big races and travel with work, containing events to three or four-day weekends at most.

Any other cycling gear you love at the moment?
If you haven’t checked out a pair of Stans NoTubes wheels…they’re awesome. This time of year I love my Craft wind-proof jacket and tights.

What’s on your radar for the 2011 season?
I’m looking forward to another road race season with KR and using all that I learned start out strong on the road. Like 2010, the road racing will be nestled amidst a lot of mountain bike racing. I’ll be focusing again on the national off-road circuit, but hopefully expanding to a stint in Europe for a week or two in May. Making MTB Worlds will be a primary goal. Next year it’s in Switzerland. Trying to save up enough vacation days…that’ll be another goal.

Spencer riding near the Ranger Creek trail near Mt. Rainier–one of his favorite places to off-road for fun.

What’s your favorite Seattle-area ride?
For road riding I like getting out around Carnation and Fall City, but anywhere outside of the city is motivation for me. I used to live in Phinney, and for quick spins before work I enjoyed a route along the water up to Richmond Beach and back. For off road riding, Duthie Hill is a blast and close to town, but for a good all-day epic I love the trails down around.

Do you have any advice for folks getting into cycling or thinking about racing?
Get to know and ride with lots of other bike riders, and learn to fix your own bike. There’s so much depth in cycling, from road to off road, and Seattle is rich with opportunities in all of these disciplines, either recreationally or competitively. In the end, cycling is a beautiful thing, whether you’re burying yourself to cover a move in a road race, catching all of the green lights past traffic on the way to work, or flying through the mossy woods.

The Velocity Blog’s “Rider Profiles” highlight the accomplishments of some of our amazing local cycling athletes, and provides insight into their lives that may inspire us all.

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Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.